Analog Devices to acquire Maxim Integrated
wsj.com
wsj.com
(Which they were, when ADI bought LTC. That merger has gone about as well as these things can, for customers. The difference between LTC and Maxim, though, is that LTC was best-in-class on every feature save price, whereas Maxim... friends don't let friends design in Maxim. They're no good for you unless you're an Apple or Qualcomm.)
Suffice it to say that supply is awful. Often your choices are (1) what's in stock today at distributors or (2) how many wafers per month are you going to buy from us (and it better be a lot)? Plus there are a fair few datasheets under NDA and parts that make no sense; those are obviously semi-customs for some customer that made it to the general market somehow.
These days the only Maxim parts I'll design in are ones that have second sources (like standard package op-amps). Their RTCs and voltage references have historically been okay, but I still try to avoid them: once bitten, twice shy....
I design occasionally as a hobby. My designer friends would tell me the same. What is the reason? I have found their documentation and application notes pretty good and their MAX232 and other convertor ICs are very popular.